This weekend sees the final round of the 2017 European Le Mans Series from the Portimao circuit in the southern Portuguese Algarve with the GTE titles still wide open for any to grab.

After five, already super competitive rounds, TF Sport with their V8 Vantage and driver line up of Salih Yoluc, Euan Hankey and Nicki Thiim maintain the slenderest of leads over the JMW Ferrari 488 by just a single point behind in second at the eagerly anticipated finale.

Having suffered the hardship and disappointment of early front end damage last time out at Spa Francorchamps, Sundays race will need to be a fault free performance for both the drivers and pit crew in order for them to have the best chances of inheriting the GTE crown over the super quick Ferrari based teams. It is still mathematical possible however, for any of the GTE runners to secure the championship should something dramatic happen to the front three teams.

Beechdean AMR meanwhile, turn up with a revised driver line up as the team look forward to 2018 and their a possibly more diverse racing programme by having silver rated German racer Immanuel Vinke in the #99 car instead of Ross Gunn alongside Andrew Howard and Darren Turner.

Vinke had his first significant test aboard the #99 car at the series sanctioned test at the Portimao circuit earlier this week with the wise, young head of Ross Gunn on hand for assistance.

Darren Turner, and indeed Nicki Thiim arrive in Portugal straight off the back of a multiple day test with the AMR factory team's new for 2018 GTE car at the Navarra circuit in Spain which again is straight off the back of the last round of the World Endurance Championship at a very wet Fuji circuit in Japan.

Todays circuit running has seen the completion of the Bronze driver test as well as the first Free Practice session of the meeting where the #90 car ended the third in class, unfortunately from a physiological point of view, behind their two nearest rivals!!

Another Free Practice session takes place tomorrow tomorrow before the all too important Qualifying Session later in the afternoon. The start of Sunday's four hour race begins at 13:00hrs local.